A Checklist for your Next Outdoor Event…
We are now stepping our way through Spring season which means that Summer will soon creep up on us. Summer is one of the busiest times of year for many industries, and if the weather is anything like 2018 (fingers crossed!) it would be silly not to utilise the great outdoors for your next event.
Whether you’re a pub showing the big football game, a school running it’s annual summer fete or someone thinking about setting up a community festival, you should consider planning well in advance to make sure you have everything under control and looking spot on.
Venue space planning
It doesn’t matter where your space is, whether it’s hired or you’re using an outdoor space of your own, you should make sure that it makes an impact as soon as your guests arrive. You will of course need to consider things like tables & chairs, bar areas, TV screens etc. Here’s a checklist to help you get things sorted…
- Get a venue that is suitable for your event & ensure it has the right capacity. (Find out the toilet & power situation before committing to a venue!).
- Hire or borrow tables & chairs so there is somewhere for your guests to sit.
- Source a caterer if food and drink is something you will be offering to your guests.
- Licenses for food & alcohol consumption.
- Organise any signage that will help direct your guests (for example “Festival This Way” or “Free Car Parking”). You should make sure that you choose the right material just in case of rain or wind, and ensure that they will be printed in time for your event.
- If you want to make a big impact you could even utilise items like flags (to emphasise the event in the venue), parasols (to keep guests sheltered from sun & rain), deckchairs, gazebos (another good one for weather protection) or floor graphics (great for directions) to add a quirky touch to the space. All of these products are customisable – perfect for adding a personal touch to your event!
Getting a guest list
You can be running a very well organised event from using the list above, however it won’t be successful if people don’t know about it! Try these things to get your event info out into the world:
- Set up an event page and start posting on that page and other related pages to get the word out.
- Spending a day in your local town handing out leaflets and chatting with people is a great way to raise the awareness of your event. It also gives the recipient something to keep hold of so they can remember the details should they wish to attend.
- If you already have an existing customer base, you could be targeting them with special invitations and let them know that this event would be a perfect networking opportunity for them.
- Sending an email out to your email database is a good way to capture the attention of a large group of people. Use bold images and large text that will get the message across quickly and effectively so they want to find out more.
- Utilising a roller banner (or try our fabric alternative) or posters in your store or local shops/pubs/restaurants/noticeboards to advertise the event can capture the attention of many passers by.
Be a host with the most!
You should have most of the big bits planned by now, so it’s time to start focusing on the small details (that as you know we always say, the small details make the big difference!).
- Make sure that you have gathered all of your print ready for use on the day. This could be your signage, any table toppers (useful for conversation starters) or menus so you know that your guests will feel welcome. When you get to the day before the event, place all of this in the venue so you don’t need to rush it the following day.
- You could even create a small photo-booth area using one of our backdrops and some props to add an extra activity for guests to do!
- It’s a good idea to have parasols, marquees or gazebos at the ready just in case the Great British weather takes a turn for the worse. It means your event can carry on, people can continue enjoying themselves and nobody gets soggy!
- Ensure you know all of the details for you event. Know when food is being served, when a presentation might be happening, timetable for activities etc.
After the event
Hopefully your event was a great success and the sunshine stayed out for you! Now is a perfect time to get the attention of your guests & customers to promote your business, or even another event!
- Get any photos that were taken on your social media so that your visitors can share and download images from their time at your event. This is a great way to get more recognition ready for next time!
- Send a thank you email to your database, and explain that the event was successful and it was great to see so many faces. This is also an ideal time to ask for any feedback people have so that when you next do an event you can improve!
- Set aside some time to follow up any leads that you may have gained from the event – the longer you leave it the less likely someone is to be interested!
Need a hand with print for your next event?
Looking for someone to design & print all of your collateral for your next event? We can help!
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